Folding egg-crate.



PATENTBD JUNE 30, 1903.

s. M. HUNT FOLDING EGG CRATE.

AIPPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1902.

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FOLDING EGG CRATE.

APPLICATION rum) SEPT. 8, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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I MT/k sses' are. 732,412.

UNITED STATES rammed June 30, 1903. I

SAMUEL'M. HUNT, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

FOLDING EGG-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,412, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed eptember 8, 1202. Serial No. 122,451. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. HUNT, of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Egg-Crates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to folding crates; and the object of the invention is to provide an egg-crate which when empty may be compactly folded and returned to the shipper.

A further object is to provide a crate of very simple but strong and durable construction.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally in the various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an egg-crate embodying my invention set up and ready for use. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one corner of the crate. Fig. 3 is a detail View in section of the interior of the crate, showing the cover raised. Fig. 4 is an end view of the crate folded. Fig. 5 is a side view thereof.

In the drawings, 2 represents the bottom of the crate; 3, the ends; 4, the sides, and 5 the cover. The bottom is provided on the sides and at the ends with the looped wires 0 and'7, secured by staples S or in any other suitable way. The wires 6 extend across the bottom and arebent up around the edges thereof at the front and back and are provided with looped ends 9 to receive the looped ends 10 of wires 11, that are secured to the front wall, preferably by staples, and extend vertically thereon.

I prefer to provide the wires 6 and 11 at each end of the crate and in the middle, and the latter have, preferably, offsets 12, which are also secured by staples to the wall of the crate;

These offsets are designed particularly to prevent longitudinal movement of the wires in their staples and they also serve to brace and strengthen the walls to a considerable degree. The front wall and the bottom of the crate are not connected otherwise than by the looped ends of the wires, which-form hinges when it is desired to collapse the crate and allow the Various means may be provided for securing the side walls of the crate to the ends; but I prefer to provide horizontal wires 18 on the inside'of each side wall, secured by staples or other suitable means and having hooked ends 19, projecting through the holes 20 in the ends of the crate and turned substantially at right angles to the main portion of the wire. I also provide staples 21 in the ends and the wires 18 have the offsets heretofore described,which act as levers to be grasped by the fingers for rotating the wires 18 and oscillating the hooks 19. The hook is so arranged with respect to the offset that when in the position shown in Fig. 3 it will be in engagement with its staple and the end and side walls locked together.

When it is desired to collapse the crate, the wires 18 are rotated in their bearings, lifting the hooks out of the staples and allowing the ends to drop in upon the bottom. The lower inner edges of said endsare preferably beveled, as indicated, to permit their convenient folding. On the back side the crate is provided with a series of wires 22, that are looped at their lower ends into the wires 6 and provided with the offset heretofore described and extend vertically over the surface of the rearwall, being bent in at their upper ends to form loops 23, that are interlocked with the loops 24 of wires 25 to form-hinges for the front wall and are adapted to receive the turned or bent ends 29 of wires 30, secured by staples to the front wall of the crate, and have offsets which may be conveniently grasped for rotating the wires when it is desired to lock or unlock the crate. The ends 20, as shown, are substantially at right angles to the offsets of the wires 30, so that when they are in the position shown in Fig. l the cover will be locked, but upon swinging the offsets to their other position the hooked ends will be turned and, extending over the open portion of the loops 28, will allow the disengagement of the wires and the cover to be raised, as shown in Fig.

IVithin the box, intermediate to the ends thereof, I prefer to provide a partition 31, preferably of thin metal, hinged to the bottom on staples 32, so that when the crate is being folded the partition may be dropped down upon the bottom and the ends turned in over it. This partition may be made separable from the crate; but I prefer to hinge it thereon to prevent any possibility of its ever being lostin transit. I also provide stops 33, which when the partition is raised and the crate set up will limit movement of the partition in each direction.

This crate may be made of any suitable material and the wires employed of any desired gage, according to the size of the crate and the strain to which it is likely to be subjected.

1 claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the bottom 2 and the wires (3 transversely arranged on the under side thereof at the middle and near each end and having looped ends turned up around the side edges of said bottom and looped branch wires turned up around the ends of said bottom, of end and side walls 3 and r. resting upon said bottom and wires secured thereon and having looped ends that are interlocked with the corresponding upwardly-turned portions of said bottom wires and forming hinges therewith between said bottom and walls, and said ends and sides having notches opposite said looped ends to receive them when the crate is folded.

2. The combination, with the bottom 2 and the wires 6 transversely arranged on the under side thereof at the middle and near each end and having looped ends turned up around the side edges of said bottom, of end and side walls 3 and 4 resting upon said bottom, and wires secured thereon and havinglooped ends that are interlocked with the corresponding upwardly-turned portions of said bottom wires and forming hinges therewith between said bottom and walls, said ends and sides having notches opposite said looped ends to receive them when the crate is folded, and the loops forming the hinges at the ends of the crate being nearer the bottom than those at the side whereby when the crate is collapsed folding of the side walls over the end walls is permitted.

3. In a folding crate, the combination, with the bottom 2 and the wires 6 transversely ar-' ranged on the under side thereof near each. end and having their looped ends turned up around the side edges of said bottom and also having looped branch wires-turned up around the ends of said bottom, of end and side walls 3 and 4 resting upon said bottom, and wires secured to the outer surface thereof and having offsets 12 to prevent longitudinal movement of said wires and looped ends that are interlocked with the corresponding upwardlyturned portions of said bottom wires and forming hinges therewith between the bottom and walls, and said ends and sides having notches opposite said loops to receive them and permit compact folding of the crate.

4. In an egg-crate, the combination, with the cover and front wall, of wires secured transversely on said cover and having looped ends that extend substantially parallel with the plane of said cover beyond its forward edge, wires arranged vertically on the outside of said front Wall and having their ends rotatably mounted thereon and provided with intermediate offset portions for convenience of manipulation, and hooks provided on the upper ends of said last-named wires and adapted to enter said looped ends when the cover is being closed, and said hooks extending in a direction substantially at right angles to said ollset portions, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

5. In a folding crate, the combination, with the rear side wall and the wires transx ersely secured thereon and having their upper ends looped and projecting horizontally over the top of said wall, of a cover, wires secured transversely thereon an d providedwith looped ends interlocking with the looped ends of said rearwall wires and said cover also having notches near said looped ends to receive the same and permit compact folding of the box.

6. In a folding crate, the combination, with the end wall having a notch in its edge adjacent to the side wall and staples on its outside surface near said notch, of a side wall, a wire secured thereon and adapted to be rotated and fitting within and proj eetin g through said notch outside the crate, and a bent or hooked end provided on said wire and adapted to enter said staple to lock said walls together, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of August, 1902.

SAMUEL M. IIUNT.

In presence of- RICHARD PAUL, C. G. HANSON. 

